Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna hailed debutant goalkeeper Alex Palmer after his heroic performance in the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.Palmer, a deadline-day signing from Championship club West Brom, played in the top tier for the first time at the age of 28 and it was worth the wait as the 10 men of Ipswich held on for a valuable point.He made a string of saves, including a last-gasp wonder stop, to keep

Derek McInnes reiterated his desire to lead Kilmarnock to another top-six finish in the William Hill Premiership after his side jumped back into the top half with a comprehensive 3-1 win over bottom side St Johnstone at Rugby Park.Killie took an early lead through Liam Polworth and extended their advantage after the break through Fraser Murray’s sensational free-kick and Bobby Wales’ c

Richie Wellens says his Leyton Orient side passed a “test of character” in their late 3-2 win over Lincoln.Sonny Perkins notched a first-half brace to give the hosts a two-goal lead but Lewis Montsma halved the deficit before the interval and then James Collins levelled the score after the break.But Charlie Kelman netted his 13th goal of the campaign in all competitions in the second m

Nigel Clough admitted to having mixed feelings following his Mansfield side’s 3-3 draw at Blackpool.The Stags may have ended their seven-game losing run at Bloomfield Road but, having come from behind to lead 3-1 thanks to goals from Will Evans, Keanu Baccus and Lucas Akins, they were pegged back late in the day and had to settle for a point.Despite his disappointment Clough was pleased with

Jamie Cooke’s 61st-minute strike earned Halifax a 1-0 home win over Boston in the National League.Town had suffered a midweek loss at Southend and gone down to a 2-1 defeat to Fylde in their last home outing, but they bounced back to move within a point of fifth-placed Gateshead.Cooke’s seventh league goal of the campaign proved enough to end the stubborn resistance of relegation-threa

Marco Silva lauded “almost unstoppable” Adama Traore after his performance helped Fulham secure their third successive win in all competitions with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.Following their 2-1 league triumph over Newcastle at St James’ Park earlier this month and their FA Cup win against Wigan last week, Fulham continued their fine form with goal

Lee Bell stressed Crewe need to sort out their disciplinary issues after they picked up a second red card in as many games during the 0-0 draw at Gillingham.Ryan Cooney was sent off with 15 minutes to go as the Railwaymen were forced to battle their way to a point at Priestfield.The visitors had 11 players missing for the game, with nine out injured and two suspended.And after his side’s thi

Mark Hughes’ first home game in charge of bottom side Carlisle ended in a stalemate as his side recorded a goalless League Two draw with Colchester at Brunton Park.The goalkeepers were on top throughout the game, with Gabe Breeze and Matt Macey producing several top-class stops as they kept the scores level.Carlisle had the first major chance as Kadeem Harris played a beautiful through ball

York kept up the pressure at the top of the National League as two second-half goals from Ollie Pearce earned a 2-0 win at Ebbsfleet.The league’s bottom side, who have won just once all season, frustrated the promotion hopefuls for much of the match until a penalty was awarded against them in the 65th minute.The division’s top scorer Pearce slotted his spot-kick into the corner from 12

Phil Parkinson watched Altrincham extend their unbeaten run to nine matches with an excellent 1-0 victory away to Gateshead.Kian Taylor struck the only goal after 14 minutes at Gateshead International Stadium to settle a tight contest between two Vanarama National League play-off hopefuls.Altrincham are only three points behind fifth-placed Gateshead after they continued their superb run of form i